While visiting Hong Kong, it is clear that a woman can’t live by Chinese food alone. On my final night of a wonderful trip, I sought a meal to remember and chose Caprice, the 3 Michelin star restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, ranked number 32 on Asia’s 50 Best list. This isn’t just any restaurant- it’s the epitome of French haute cuisine, where guests are treated like royalty, ensuring a lasting impression.
Caprice, situated on a secluded corner on the 6th floor of the hotel, welcomes you with an underlit floor of warm yellow light leading into a grand entrance. To the left, is an exhibition kitchen showcasing 25-30 chefs at work. At the same time, to the right, a few steps down, you enter a dazzling dining room adorned with breathtaking Swarovski crystal chandeliers and superb harbour views. In the back, a small, attractive bar serves wines from a vast cellar, and there is a cheese room- the only one of its kind in Hong Kong. Patrons, dressed to impress, dine in a space of sophisticated and refined decor, making it one of the most luxurious restaurants in the Asia Pacific.
Caprice offers a choice of 2 menus: 4 or 5 courses at lunch and two 7-course options at dinner-one focusing on meat and the other on seafood. Under the guidance of Executive Chef Guillaume Galliot, who took the reins in 2017, the restaurant serves exceptional contemporary French cuisine with technical and culinary precision. Chef Galliot, alongside Chef de Cuisine Suveg Sushil Kavatkar uses only the finest, premium ingredients, including classic dishes and inspirations from chefs’ travels.
Opting for the seafood menu, while my husband chose the meat one, we sampled a variety of signature dishes, including Alaskan King Crab with Osetra Prestige Caviar, foie gras, asparagus from the Loire Valley, roasted lamb, and Brittany Blue Lobster. The menu abounded with luxurious ingredients like caviar, gold flakes, Wagyu beef, foie gras, and lobster, making it a splurge-worthy dining experience.
The bread selection and French butter were delightful preludes to the 10 appetizers (five cold and five hot dishes) and six main courses. My husband relished milk-fed veal on saffron risotto with green asparagus and orange blossom, and his duck trio: fillet, leg, and confit. I savoured my langoustine carpaccio, pan-fried sole fillet, and blue prawn tartare, among other glorious dishes. The artisanal cheese cart, a personal favourite, was equally inspiring and indulgent.
The wine list was stunning focusing on Bordeaux and Burgandy, featuring New World wines. We began with a lovely Meursault and ended with a glass of 1990 Chateau d’Yquem. As an ambassador of this renowned dessert wine, Caprice offered us a glass for $200, poured from a magnificent HUGE format bottle. We even had the pleasure of seeing a bottle from 1909.
No French dining experience is complete without world-class desserts, and Caprice did not
disappoint. Additionally, we were fortunate to tour the kitchen and meet the charming Chef Galliot. Yes, the meal was costly, but it was brilliant, iconic, and a truly unforgettable experience.
Highly recommended.
Happy dining,
Shanea
11/14/2024
